Gathering and Praise

Have everyone focus their minds and their hearts on worshiping God. 


Have someone read these words:

Psalm 63:1-5 (NIV)

1 You, God, are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

I thirst for you,

my whole being longs for you,

in a dry and parched land

where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your glory.

3 Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

4 I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

 

Have someone pray:

God, you have gathered us to worship you,
because you know what we need,
and because you care for us.
We are like a parched desert, empty and in need of replenishment.
Be present with us, and fill us with your Spirit, so that our lives might acknowledge and worship you
to the praise and honor of Jesus Christ. 

Amen!


Tell each other some things you are thankful to God for.

Confession

Explain to everyone that when we worship God we need to confess our sins and listen to God’s promise of forgiveness.


Have someone pray:

Psalm 130:1-5 (NIV)

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;

2 Lord, hear my voice.

Let your ears be attentive

to my cry for mercy.

3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,

Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness,

so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,

and in his word I put my hope.

  

Have everyone read these words together:

John 4:13-14 (NIV)

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

  

Have everyone discuss this:

  1. What do you need this week? How is your “whole being waiting for the Lord” (Psalm 130:5)?
  2. What would it look like for you to trust that God will provide? How can you live like someone who has been given “water” by Jesus and “never thirsts” (John 4:13-14)?

 

Make a list of church friends and family members to call today.

 

Consider contributing to the ministry of the church and the organizations we support. 

Do this online Give Now or by mailing a check to PO Box 9339, Fresno, CA, 93791. 

Our special offering for March is the Lee family serving in Querétaro, Mexico.

Teaching

Sending

Here are some prayer requests we shared this week during our devotions Monday and Wednesday evenings:

  • Katelyn T’s family as they mourn her dad’s death.
  • Don and Maria B who are both recovering from medical procedures.
  • Dana, who works in a hospital, and everyone works in hospitals caring for those who are sick.
  • Barb D’s brother Mike, who has Parkinson’s.
  • Diane W, a friend who is suffering with cancer.
  • Kids who are stuck home and who are continuing school in different ways.
  • Those who are struggling with lost income and lost jobs.

Share other prayer requests and have someone write them down.


Have someone pray for the things you have written down.

 

Have someone read these words:

Romans 15:13 (NIV)

May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Some prayers and portions of prayers reprinted by permission from The Worship Sourcebook, Second Edition, © 2013, Faith Alive Christian Resources.